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Hi, Friends! I’m guest posting today, sharing my Spoonful of Sugar Patchwork Patch Pillow, but I can usually be found working behind the scenes as Therm O Web’s Creative Director. Part of my job is to build relationships with other industry companies, like Riley Blake Designs.
One of Riley Blake Designs’ many talented signature designers is Jennifer Long of Sew A Story. If you’ve followed our Sewing & Quilting Design Team, you’ll recognize Jennifer as a member of Therm O Web’s talented design team, as well.
Jennifer’s brand-new Riley Blake Designs fabric collection, A Spoonful of Sugar, is in stores now and is what I used to create today’s precut-friendly project: a cute, cushy pillow for my favorite reading spot, featuring Mary Poppins–one of my all-time favorite storybook characters!
Over the last two years, our team at Therm O Web has worked with Jennifer to develop a coordinating designer product line that highlights her sweetly whimsical, story-inspired Riley Blake Designs fabric collections and color palette: Sew A Story HeatnBond® Sparkle Paste and Sew A Story HeatnBond® Sparkle Stencils by Jennifer Long for Therm O Web.
Sparkle Paste allows you to add a bit of magic to fabric with stay-put, brush-on glitter that is also flake-free and machine washable once heat set with an iron, and Sparkle Stencils make it easy to recreate Jennifer’s darling details without having to be an artist yourself. There are currently 14 colors of Sparkle Paste and five Sparkle Stencils, with more on the way to accompany upcoming Sew A Story fabric collections for Riley Blake Designs.
Who doesn’t love a little sparkle, especially if it’s easy to achieve and doesn’t spread glitter everywhere?
Three things guided the design of this patchwork “patch” pillow: 1) the ease of fabric precuts (in this case, 5” squares); 2) a desire to try some quilting techniques and tools I’d seen in tutorials but hadn’t attempted; 3) an idea for a glittery Mary Poppins “patch” as a focal point.
MATERIALS
DIRECTIONS
NOTE: Since I was working with precuts, I did not prewash my fabrics. I don’t anticipate this pillow cover being washed all that frequently. For items that will be laundered regularly, like clothing or quilts, we do recommend prewashing all fabrics without fabric softener to ensure the best bond between fabric and any adhesive products, including Sparkle Paste.
STEP 1: Choose (16) 5” fabric squares for the patchwork pillow front. I chose four floral squares for the corners and four teapot/teacup squares for the center and then filled in the sides as shown, but the patchwork layout is up to you. Mix and match squares until it feels right.
STEP 2: Apply Snowflake Sparkle Paste to the tops of all sugar bowls and spoons on all four teapot/teacup fabric squares using the Sparkle Stencil and a small palette knife for precise placement. Be careful not to lay the stencil down in wet paste when moving to a new area of the fabric. You will likely have to stencil the designs in stages, letting one area dry completely before moving to the next. When finished stenciling, let Sparkle Paste dry for one hour. Cover with Pressing Paper and heat set each square with hot iron for 60 seconds.
STEP 3: Apply Sparkle Paste to more fabric details, as desired. I used a paper blending stump to add dots of Royal Blue Sparkle Paste to the larger flower centers, creating some 3D texture. I used the Sparkle Stencil to add Sunshine Sparkle Paste to some of the kites. Let dry for one hour. Cover with Pressing Paper and heat set with hot iron for 60 seconds.
STEP 4: Chain piece the fabric squares together using a ¼” seam allowance. This is a really helpful video tutorial from designer Jessica Dayon (a former member of the Therm O Web Design Team) that shows how to chain piece an entire patchwork block, including nesting the seams for accurate alignment.
I chain pieced my squares together in pairs first, then clipped the joining threads. Next, I sewed two pairs together to make each row, working one row at a time, and I pressed the seams to one side for the first row, then to the opposite side for the second row and so on so I could nest the seams during assembly.
I also invested in a tailor’s clapper to get really flat seams when pressing. It makes such a difference. To use it, press your seam to one side with a hot iron then place the clapper flat on the seam for 10 seconds or so to set it. Sew rows together in the same way, nesting the seams. Press seams to one side. All of this careful pressing will ensure you achieve precise corners where four squares come together.
STEP 5: The assembled pillow front should now measure 18-½” square. Cut a piece of HeatnBond Fusible Fleece the same size as the pillow front and fuse to the back following package directions.
STEP 6: Quilt pillow front as desired. I sewed straight lines on both sides of each seam using a ¼” seam allowance and white thread. I also sewed around the edge of the entire pillow front ½” from the outer fabric edge.
STEP 7: To finish the pillow front, stencil Mary Poppins onto a blue clouds/kites square using the Sparkle Stencil and Sugar Sparkle Paste. You'll see I just turned my fabric square on point to create this quickly; if the sideways clouds are concerning, you could always cut the square from yardage or a fat quarter. Let paste dry one hour, cover with Pressing Paper and heat set with hot iron for 60 seconds.
To make the tag for the patch, cut an approximately 1-¼”x2-½” strip of fabric from the words print fabric, highlighting “A Spoonful of Sugar” or another phrase of your choice. Just make sure the words will still be visible after folding the strip in half, pressing and sewing. Fold strip in half lengthwise, right sides facing, and sew long open edges using a ¼” seam allowance. Turn the tube right side out and press flat. Sew short end closed to left of words, 1/2" from end; trim with scallop scissors or pinking shears. Set tag aside.
STEP 8: To make the Mary Poppins patch, cut a 5” square of soft woven fusible interfacing and place on top of stenciled Mary square, fusible side up. Do not iron. Sew around edges using a ¼” seam allowance. Clip corners for turning.
Carefully cut a small slit through the interfacing only and turn fabric out through the hole. Use a skewer or similar tool to poke corners out so patch is square.
The fusible side of the interfacing is now against the back of the patch. Press patch to fuse interfacing and set seams.
STEP 9: Cut a piece of HeatnBond Lite just smaller than the patch and fuse to the interfacing on the back. Peel away the paper liner and position in the center of the pillow front, on point, tucking the open end of the fabric tag about ¼” under the lower left edge. Fuse in place. Top stitch the patch in place, sewing ⅛” from the fabric edges and catching the tag in the stitching.
STEP 10: Make the envelope-style pillow back. Cut an 18”x22” piece from each fabric for the back of the pillow, Evening Lace Parasol and Cloud Storybook (the same fabric we cut the “A Spoonful of Sugar” tag from). Fold each piece in half, wrong sides together, to measure 11”x18” and press. Sew folded edge of each piece using a ¼” seam allowance. With pillow front face up and aligning raw edges along the left side and right side, pin or clip the pillow back panels to the pillow front; panels will overlap at center by several inches. Sew around entire pillow using a ¼” seam allowance.
STEP 11: Clip corners of pillow cover, being careful not to cut through stitching on the fleece side where you sewed around the edge of the pillow front. Turn pillow cover right side out through opening. Poke corners out so they are nice and square. Press along edges to set seams. Insert pillow form. Enjoy!
I hope my project has inspired you to sew something unique for your favorite reading spot! Until next time, Happy Creating!
Dawn Gehring, Creative Director for Therm O Web (and sometimes sewist)
